They were taken directly toward the Grand Hall of the palace. Arthur could hear the noise inside before he went in, and he knew that the nobles of the kingdom were gathered here.
This gathering was also the reason that they stayed that long in Contracts City. It was to give enough time for preparations to be made. After all, this was the beginning of a new page in Freda.
"Nervous?" Gala adjusted his collar under Dia's irritated eyes. Arthur was taller than her, so she had to raise her hands to adjust his clothes.
"Maybe I should be, but I'm not." Arthur smiled, and Gala nodded with a smile.
The Knight of Courage returned after leaving them for a bit and nodded their way. Gruen stood by his side, wearing the robes of a craftsman.
The four walked into the Grand Hall together, following the Knight of Courage. The light coming from the windows and washed the hall, making the people inside look holy.
As Arthur walked into the hall, he found twelve chairs in a semi-circular fashion on each side of the grand throne. A carpet connected the doors to the throne, where a man was sitting with a divine aura.
The four of them walked side-by-side, entering the circular space made by the twelve chairs, with the throne in their center. With six chairs on each side, King Solomon looked at them with a thin smile.
Arthur glanced around the hall, looking at the twelve chairs. The Knight of Courage left their side and sat on a chair that resembled a small throne, with the word Courage engraved above her.
'These are the chairs of the Knights.' Arthur realized as he read the words on each chair. They were in Yalveran Language, so they were easier to read.
There were ones that he knew, like Courage, Honesty, Nobility, and Loyalty. Then came the titles that he didn't know, like Virtue, Honor, and Kindness.
'Seven Knights.' Arthur realized and turned toward the other five chairs. They held symbols instead of words: a tree, coins, a sword, a mountain, and a hand.
He recognized two of the symbols. The tree and the coins belonged to the Duke of Shades and the Duke of Contracts, respectively. If Arthur guessed correctly, these chairs belonged to the dukes.
"Greetings, King Solomon." Arthur placed his hand on his heart and bowed slightly. "I'm the Seika of Living Beings. It's an honor to meet you finally."
Arthur raised his head with a polite smile, and King Solomon returned it. As he looked at the King, Arthur was sure this man was the same he met back in the trial, only a younger version of him.
"Welcome, Seika." King Solomon said with an amused smile, his eyes gleaming with interest. "I must say, for someone who wreaked havoc in my kingdom, the Seika is a polite man."
"Words tend to twist themselves the more they travel," Arthur said with a smile, and the Knight of Nobility snorted. "I'm sure that you've heard that I'm the most barbaric, ruthless, and disrespectful man to have ever existed."
"Not that far from it." King Solomon grinned with interest. "But I'm still certain that making a deal with you is in favor of the kingdom." He turned to Dia with a smile. "We meet again, princess."
"Greetings, your Majesty." Dia bowed slightly and raised her head. "I see that you're still as divine as I first saw you."
"As flattering as your mother," Solomon said with a grin. "I'm saddened by what happened to her." His words sounded sincere.
"Many thanks for the kind words, your Majesty." Dia nodded respectfully.
"Ah, you must be Manager Gruen." King Solomon then turned toward the young dwarf. "I heard that you have a proposal for me. Let's discuss that later, as a more important matter awaits us."
"As you wish, your Majesty." Gruen nodded.
"We met before." King Solomon turned to Gala, who looked confused.
"Have we?"
"You were a traveler at that time, and I was a young boy." King Solomon said in nostalgia. "You look the same as twenty years ago."
"Well, that's thanks to our Seika." Gala smiled. "I hope I didn't steal anything at that time."
"You did," Solomon laughed, his voice radiating nostalgia. "However, you stole from a neighbor I hated, so it's fine."
'Is he truly a king?' Arthur wondered to himself as the man in front of him laughed lightly. He greeted every one of them before turning back to him with a smile.
"I would love to discuss the terms of your service, but I think you have something that belongs to me." King Solomon turned toward Arthur, his words shocking the present nobles.
"Does the king intend to take hold of Blessed Spirits?"
"As he should, those artifacts belong to the kingdom."
"However,"
Whispers spread in the crowd as Arthur stared at the King silently and smiled. He knew what Solomon was referring to, and Arthur had no problem returning it.
Arthur walked over toward one of the chairs as an item appeared in his hand. He raised the medal, which began to shine and pulse, and presented it toward the Seat of Loyalty.
"The Medal of Loyalty?"
The Knight of Courage stood up from her seat like the rest of the Knights. The Medal of Loyalty left Arthur's hand and floated toward the chair as the pulsing grew stronger.
'A powerful artifact.'
Arthur looked at the Seat of Loyalty with surprise. He could feel an astonishing amount of mana from within it. However, it only resonated with the Medal and nothing else.
"Thank you, Seika." King Solomon looked at the Seat with regret. "I never thought he would die this soon."
"I met him in a faraway place." Arthur turned toward the King, confused. "Can I ask why was he there, alone and powerless?"
"Such a thing shouldn't be..." The man sitting on the chair next to Solomon, which had a hand symbol, said with a frown. King Solomon, however, raised his hand to cut him off.
"He deserves to know." King Solomon interjected. "But that's a matter for another day. Is that alright, Seika?"
Arthur nodded, confused as to why it couldn't be now. However, he could guess that the Knight of Loyalty's matter was something controversial, as most nobles held hateful expressions on their faces.
"Thank you." Solomon smiled and nodded. "Do you wish to be the next Knight of Loyalty, Seika?" He asked, shocking everyone, but Arthur shook his head.
"I would have to decline." Arthur shook his head. Why would he act as a guard and protect Solomon if he was here to make sure he was dead?
"That's a pity," Solomon said, but he was still smiling. "Then, what is it that you desire?"
The exchange made everyone speechless. A position of a titled knight equaled those of a duke, but they had different responsibilities. In a matter of seconds, an offer was raised and turned down.
"I want to be your advisor," Arthur said lightly. "I have many ideas to help change this kingdom and aid you, so that's what I want to do. I also want to build the tenth city, Hidden City, alongside Manager Gruen."
"Impudent." The Knight of Nobility interrupted. "Do you think that the services you offer are worthy of such a position? Are you saying that King needs an advisor?"
"Indeed, Seika." King Solomon nodded. "You would have to prove yourself first. That's why I'm going to accept only a request out of the two. Build Hidden City, and if you succeed, I'll appoint you as my advisor."
"Your Majesty!" The man sitting beside the King stood up. "Isn't this one of my responsibilities as the Hand of The King?"
"There won't be any interference." Solomon shook his head. "I'll have him as my assistant if he does succeed."
"Can I know what do you mean by success in this case?" Arthur asked with furrowed brows.
"Let's see, the Duke of Contracts isn't here, but I believe Manager Gruen declared that Hidden City would be the trading hub of the Kingdom. Accomplish that in less than three months, and I'll allow you to be my advisor."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Arthur said with a smile.
"I also heard that you'd placed a Bestial Order on The Daughter of Ice and Fire." King Solomon turned to Dia. "Is that true?"
"Not anymore." Arthur shook his head. "She is acting by her free will, but I have a proposal to make," Arthur said and stepped up.
"A proposal?" Solomon raised his brows.
"Alva can't be ruled by a human king, not at the moment, at least. The war is a bloody one, but we can weaken the morale of the soldiers in Alva, ending it faster."
"Your suggestion being?"
"Lady Dia will be participating in the war, and we will spread words that she is here to save Alva from the unjust King with your help. Once that happens, she can become the queen of Alva, and the two kingdoms will be united."
Arthur said his words, but the impact they left on the hall was nothing less than devastating. The concepts he proposed would change the course of the war and decrease the amount of power Freda held over Alva if they did win.